Method and system of storing data files

ABSTRACT

A method and system for storing data files are provided. The method includes receiving from a client computer system in communication with a server computer system, a first data file and a first data file virtualization policy; storing the first data file and the first data file virtualization policy on a storage device in communication with the server computer system; and deriving one or more second virtual data files using information from the first data file and the first data file virtualization policy, the one or more second virtual data files not being stored on the storage device. The method further includes generating a directory listing of the one or more second virtual data files such that the one or more second virtual data files appear to the client computer system as if the one or more second virtual data files is stored in the storage device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present Application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/779,390 filed on Feb. 27, 2013 which is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/733,228 filed on Dec. 04, 2012, the entire contents of each application being incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to data storage and retrieval, and in particular to a method and system of storing a client provided data file along with an associated data file virtualization policy for retrieval; and a method and system for the retrieval of data from the client provided data file.

Discussion of Related Art

Interchange of computer data using a client program and a server program is a well-known technology. A client program communicates with a server program using a communication protocol over a network, for example a LAN, WAN or the Internet. Examples of a communication protocol are TCP, UDP, HTTP, HTTPS, socket-based communication, HTTP 1.1 WebDAV. A client program sends a request for data to a server program. Based on that request the server program sends data to the client program in response to the request.

The client program and the server program may be running on the same computer or on separate computers. For example, a client program may be running on a client computer while a server program may be running a server computer. The server computer may be a computer system having one or more processors. However, the client program and the server program may also be running on the same computer system. In addition, a client program may be running on one or more computers. Similarly, a server program may be running on one or more computers. The computers running client programs and server programs are connected to each other in some form over the network.

Server and client programs follow some type of communication protocol to be able to understand each other. One such method is when a client side asks a server side about its capabilities. The server side then responds to the client side with a list of services it offers. The client may utilize those services to fulfill its goals by making additional requests to the server.

A client program includes a set of one or more computer programs. A server program includes a set of one or more computer programs.

The HTTP protocol is popular and a well-known standard over a computer network, for example LAN, WAN and the Internet or the World Wide Web (WWW). A current HTTP protocol version is HTTP 1.1 and is described in the Internet Engineering Task Force Specification IETF RFC 2616. An extension to the HTTP 1.1 protocol is HTTP 1.1 WebDAV. This protocol is described in IETF RFC 4918.

The HTTP 1.1 WebDAV protocol in its simplest form allows a computer to read from and write to web resources on a remote storage device using the WWW. A web resource can be a file or a one or more files. The protocol also supports the equivalent of hierarchical folder listings, file and folder metadata reporting, file and folder deleting and such features that existing Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX)-based file systems offer over the WWW, using this protocol. In addition, the protocol also supports file versioning over the WWW. The protocol allows for client programs to connect to remote storage solutions over the WWW and provision data at the remote location as if it were a network mounted POSIX file system.

For example, the HTTP protocol supports the OPTIONS request. It allows the server to provide a list of WebDAV commands that it supports and how the commands are supported. The WebDAV protocol requires the implementation of some requests. The implementation of other or additional WebDAV requests is optional. The PROPFIND request in WebDAV is used to retrieve properties and metadata from a resource. It is equivalent to getting properties and metadata about a file and getting a hierarchical directory or folder list. The MKCOL request in WebDAV is used to create collections, for example a collection could be a directory or folder. The GET request in WebDAV is used to retrieve a complete or partial resource, for example a file, from a remote location on the WWW. The PUT request in WebDAV is used to store a complete or partial resource, for example a file, from a remote location on the WWW. The COPY request in WebDAV duplicates a resource, for example a file. Details regarding the various requests that can be implemented in WebDAV can be found in the IETF RFC 4918 specification.

On a POSIX-based file system, there are various techniques and methods available for reading and writing files. One of these methods is synchronous or asynchronous unbuffered direct I/O.

Synchronous I/O implies that if a program issues a POSIX request to read or write, the control is returned to the program once the request is completed successfully or unsuccessfully and not before that. Asynchronous I/O implies that as soon as a program issues a POSIX request to read or write, the control is returned to the program. The actual read or write operation is completed at a later time and at that time the program that originally issued the write operation request is alerted regarding the completion status of the write operation.

Unbuffered Direct I/O implies that if a program issues a POSIX request to read or write, the operating systems does not do anything besides reading the data from storage into memory or writing the data from memory to storage. It does not perform caching of any sort.

Synchronous or asynchronous unbuffered direct I/O has constraints imposed by file system implementations. Some file systems permit a single I/O request of this type to be no larger than a certain number of bytes. For example, in certain versions of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system, a single direct I/O read request can be no larger than approximately 64 Megabytes. A read or write operation operates on a file starting from a specific offset and is of a specific size in bytes. Most file systems require that a single I/O request of this type be made starting at an offset and of a size that are an integer multiple of the storage device block size. For example, a storage device block size may be 512 bytes or 4096 bytes. Most operating systems also require that the computer memory allocated for such an operation begin and end at an operating system memory page boundary, for example, begin and end at operating system memory page boundary of 4096 bytes.

Popular WebDAV implementations generally utilize some form of buffered I/O. These implementations also utilize published or invented caching techniques to further improve performance. Caching methods are intended to improve aggregate performance based on pattern of access.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a method, implemented by a computer system, for storing data files. The method includes receiving, by the computer system, a first data file and a first data file virtualization policy; associating, by the computer system, the first data file with the first data file virtualization policy; and storing, by the computer system, the first data file and the first data file virtualization policy on a storage device in communication with the computer system.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method, implemented by a computer system, for retrieving at least a portion of a first data file stored in a storage device in communication with the computer system. The method includes receiving, by the computer system from a client computer system in communication with the computer system, a request for the at least a portion of the first data file, the request including a start of the at least a portion of the first data file and a size of the at least a portion of the first data file; computing, by the computer system, a data offset that is aligned to an integer multiple of a block size of the storage device and nearest to the start of the at least a portion of the first data file; and computing, by the computer system, a byte-range that is an integer multiple of the block size of the storage device, the byte-range being greater than and encompasses the size of the at least a portion of the first data file. The method further includes reading, by the computer system, data within the byte-range and transferring the data within the byte-range starting at the data offset into memory of the computer system; and transmitting, by the computer system to the client computer system, the at least a portion of the first data file from the memory starting at an offset relative to the data offset that is aligned to an integer multiple of the block size of the storage device.

A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a system for storing data files. The system includes a computer system configured to: receive a first data file and a first data file virtualization policy; associate the first data file with the first data file virtualization policy; and store the first data file and the first data file virtualization policy on a storage device in communication with the computer system.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a system for retrieving at least a portion of a first data file stored in a storage device in communication with a computer system. The computer system is configured to: receive from a client computer system in communication with the computer system, a request for the at least a portion of the first data file, the request including a start of the at least a portion of the first data file and a size of the at least a portion of the first data file; compute a data offset that is aligned to an integer multiple of a block size of the storage device and nearest to the start of the at least a portion of the first data file; and compute a byte-range that is an integer multiple of the block size of the storage device, the byte-range being greater than and encompasses the size of the at least a portion of the first data file. The computer system is further configured to read data within the byte-range and transferring the data within the byte-range starting at the data offset into memory of the computer system; and transmit to a client computer system the at least a portion of the first data file from the memory starting at an offset relative to the data offset that is aligned to an integer multiple of the block size of the storage device.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method, implemented by a client computer system, of requesting information from a server computer system. The method includes sending, by the client computer system to the server computer system, a request for policy capability of the server computer system for a data type; receiving, by the client computer system from the server computer system, a response to the request including a list of derived data types that are supported by the server computer system; generating, by the client computer system, a policy using the list of derived data types; and sending, by the client computer system to the server computer system, a first data file and a first data file virtualization policy for storage.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a system having a client computer system. The client computer system is configured to send to a server computer system in communication with the client computer system a request for policy capability of the server computer system for a data type; receive a response to the request including a list of derived data types that are supported by the server computer system; generate a policy using the list of derived data types; and send a first data file and a first data file virtualization policy for storage.

A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for retrieving at least a portion of a second derived virtual data file, the second derived virtual data file being derived from a first data file based on a first data file virtualization policy, the method being implemented by a computer system, the first data file being stored in a storage device in communication with the computer system. The method includes receiving, by the computer system from a client computer system in communication with the computer system, a request for the at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file, the request including a virtual offset of the at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file and a size of the at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file; computing, by the computer system, a data offset and a size of at least a portion of the first data file to derive the requested at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file; reading, by the computer system, data from the first data file based on the computed data offset and size of the at least a portion of the first data file; generating, by the computer system, the requested at least a portion of the second derived data file using information in the first data file virtualization policy and the read data from the first data file; and transmitting, by the computer system to the client computer system, the requested at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a system for retrieving at least a portion of a second derived data file, the second derived virtual data file being derived from a first data file based on a first data file virtualization policy, the first data file being stored in a storage device in communication with a computer system. The computer system is configured to: receive from a client computer system in communication with the computer system, a request for the at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file, the request including a virtual offset of the at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file and a size of the at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file; compute a data offset and a size of at least a portion of the first data file to derive the requested at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file; read data from the first data file based on the computed data offset and size of the at least a portion of the first data file; generate the requested at least a portion of the second derived data file using information in the first data file virtualization policy and the read data from the first data file; and transmit to the client computer system the requested at least a portion of the second derived virtual data file.

Although the various steps of the method are described in the above paragraphs as occurring in a certain order, the present application is not bound by the order in which the various steps occur. In fact, in alternative embodiments, the various steps can be executed in an order different from the order described above or otherwise herein.

These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. In one embodiment of the invention, the structural components illustrated herein are drawn to scale. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 depicts a client program making a request to a server program, and a server program responding to the client program with a response to that request over a computer network using the HTTP 1.1 WebDAV specification;

FIG. 2 depicts a general client-server application workflow;

FIG. 3 depicts the workflow of a client program reading a data file and a data file virtualization policy, sending the data file to a server program over a network such as a LAN or the Internet, and the server storing the data file and the data file virtualization policy on to a storage device, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart showing how a client program uploads a data file and a data file virtualization policy to a server program, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 depicts a workflow of a client requesting for a list of supported virtualization data types for a given data type from a server, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 depicts the workflow of a client uploading a first data file and a first data file virtualization policy to a server, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 depicts a first data file virtualization policy P_(D) for a first data file D that expresses a client program's intent to access a sequence of N virtual derived data files D₁ to D_(N), where N>0, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 depicts an example of a first data file virtualization policy for storing a first data file of data type Point Cloud LiDAR, and depicts how that policy results in the client eventually being able to access the first data file and a one or more virtual derived data files from the server, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 depicts an example of a first data file virtualization policy for storing a first data file of data type JP2 from a Wide-Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) frame, and depicts how that policy results in the client eventually being able to access the first data file and a one or more virtual derived data files from the server, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 depicts the workflow of a server program taking a one or more first data files and corresponding first data file virtualization policies and storing them to a storage device, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 depicts the workflow of a server program implementing a PROPFIND request in HTTP 1.1 WebDAV and presenting a directory listing of a first data file and a one or more virtual derived data files that were presented based on a first data file virtualization policy corresponding to the first data file, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 depicts the workflow of a server program implementing a HTTP HEAD request for information on either a first data file or any corresponding virtual derived data file, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 depicts the workflow of a server program implementing a HTTP GET request for downloading data from either a first data file or any corresponding virtual derived data file, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 depicts a flowchart of a server program implementing a PROPFIND request in HTTP 1.1 WebDAV, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 depicts a schematic of an unbuffered aligned direct I/O operation on a first data file as implemented by a server program to fulfill a HTTP GET request, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 depicts a flowchart of a server program implementing a HTTP GET request for reading whole or part of a first data file using one or more unbuffered aligned direct I/O operations, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 17 depicts a flowchart of a server program implementing a HTTP GET request for reading whole or part of a second virtual derived data file using one or more unbuffered aligned direct I/O operations on a first data file and using a first data file virtualization policy, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

A data file is defined as one or more bytes that exist in computer memory or on a computer storage device, such as a hard disk or a clustered storage device. A data file can be exposed to a computer program via a well-known interface, for example, an Object Storage Solution interface, or a POSIX file-system interface. One or more data files are referred herein as a collection of data files. The symbol D is used herein to indicate the collection of data files.

A data file that is physically stored on a storage device is referred to as a first data file. A data file that is virtually presented to a consumer as if it were stored on a storage device but is not actually stored on a storage device, and is derived from the first data file, is referred to herein as a second virtual derived data file, and also referred to as a second derived data file, or a second derived virtual data file, or a second virtual data file, or a derived data file, or a virtual data file.

A data type describes the byte-layout and type of data stored in a data file. For example, Point Cloud LiDAR data is stored in data files of a well-known file format named LAS. Therefore, a Collection of LAS Data Files containing Point Cloud LiDAR data are of data type Point Cloud LiDAR LAS. For example, Wide-Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) data is stored in data files of a well-known file format named GeoJP2. Therefore, a Collection of GeoJP2 Data Files containing WAMI data are of data type WAMI GeoJP2. For example, Live-Action Motion Picture frames captured at 24 or 48 frames per second is stored in data files of a well-known file format named OpenEXR. Therefore a Collection of OpenEXR Data Files, each data file including one live-action motion picture frame are of data type Live-Action Motion Picture OpenEXR. The symbol T_(D) refers to the data type of a collection of data files D.

FIG. 1 depicts a client program making a conventional HTTP 1.1 WebDAV request to a server program and the server responding with a HTTP 1.1 WebDAV response comprising in-part of the data requested by the client program. With reference to an embodiment of the present invention, a client program can also be a computer program that requests a server program to store data. In that case, a server program is a computer program that fulfills the request to store data from a client program and sends an appropriate response to the client program. A client program can also be a computer program that requests for data and consumes it for a purpose. In that case, a server program is a computer program that provisions that data to the client program.

The various methods described herein depict multiple workflows. A workflow is a diagram that depicts primary phases of an operation, or a sequence of connected steps in an operation. An example of a conventional circular workflow is depicted in FIG. 2. In this example, a client program generates a request for a server program and sends it to the server program over a computer network. The server program receives the request, processes the request and generates a response. The response is sent by the server program back to the client program over a computer network. The client program receives the response. The cycle continues.

FIG. 3 depicts the workflow of a client program reading a data file and a data file virtualization policy, sending the data file to a server program over a network such as a LAN or the Internet, and the server storing the data file and the data file virtualization policy on to a storage device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In one embodiment, for example, a client program entrusts a server program with a first data file D that is of a known data type T_(D). The goal for the client is to access the first data file D at a future time. A client program may also have to access additional data of same or different data types that are derived from D at a future time. If the server program does not provide for such derived data or provide the ability to create such derived data, the client program would have to look for alternative services. If such services are not available, the client program has to generate the derived data by itself. In the following paragraphs, a method for storing and retrieving data files on a storage device is described.

In one embodiment, the method allows for defining a data file virtualization policy that provides a client program with the ability to send the client program's intent to access the data stored in a first data file, as well as an intent of the client program to access data files of other data types that are derived from the first data file.

A data file virtualization policy is defined as the intent, by a client program, of accessing a first data file D, as well as derived data files D₁, D₂. . . D_(N). One or more derived data files D₁, D₂. . . D_(N) are derived from the first data file D, and are virtual. The term virtual implies that one or more data files D_(1 . . . N) do not physically exist on a storage device. The term virtual further implies that a directory listing of data files D_(1 . . . N) is available to the client program. The client program believes that data files exist on the server side storage device. The term virtual further implies that a derived data file D_(J) (where, 1<J<N) is generated by the server program by reading the first data file D wholly or partially, dynamically, on-demand, when a client requests for that specific derived data file. A data file virtualization policy is denoted herein as P_(D) or P_(D(1 . . . N)). A client program sends a first data file D (i.e., one or more first data files D) to a server program accompanied by a virtualization policy P_(D) that corresponds to each first data file D in the one or more data files D. The one or more data files D are of the same data type T_(D).

When a server program receives one or more first data files and P_(D), from a client program, the server program takes the one or more first data files and P_(D) and stores it on a storage device. Using either a database or a known structure or protocol, it associates the one or more first data files with P_(D). For example, a known protocol would be for the server to save the one or more first data files and P_(D) into the same server-side storage folder and append a server-generated UUID for each file in the one or more first data files, into P_(D). In this example, a first data file D would be one of the files in the one or more first data files.

FIG. 3 depicts a client program sending to a server program, a first data file D and an associated first data file virtualization policy P_(D(1 . . . N)) using a computer network, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The diagram further depicts the server receiving data file D and data file virtualization policy P_(D(1 . . . N)) and saving D and P_(D(1 . . . N)) to a storage device. D can be one data file of data type T_(D) or it can be more than one data files of the same data type T_(D).

A client program does not know what derived data types are supported by a server program for a data file of data type T_(D). Therefore, a client program may request a server program to send back a list of supported derived data types. The client program may also request a list of supported parameters for each supported derived data type. The parameters allow a client program to control the output of the derived data that will be subsequently generated on-demand by the server program. Once the list of supported parameters is known, a client program can announce its intent to request for all supported derived data types or only a subset of supported derived data types, at a future time.

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart showing how a client program uploads a data file and a data file virtualization policy to a server program, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, a client program starts at S10. At S12, the client program sends a request to a server over a computer network using a well-established protocol, for example RESTful HTTP or RESTful HTTPS. The request includes requesting server program's Policy Capabilities (PC) for a data type T_(D), as provided by a client. At S14, the client program receives a response from the server program. The response includes a list of derived data types that are supported by the server program. For each derived data type, the server program may also provide a list of parameters used to control the derived data file content that would eventually be generated should the client program later ask for a derived data file. In one embodiment, a client program may choose to save this response locally to avoid making such a request again. At S16, the client program prepares a policy P_(D), revealing the client program's intent to access one or more derived data files D_(1 . . . N) of a one or more data types, at a future time. At S18, the client program sends or transmits P_(D) to a server program over the computer network using a well-established protocol, for example RESTful HTTP or HTTPS. At S20, the client program sends a data stream of the data file D (i.e., streams data D) to the server program that was just sent P_(D). The method ends at S22. The client program may also choose to send P_(D) and D in the same request.

FIG. 5 is a workflow diagram of the part of the embodiment of the invention where a client program 10 makes a request 11 to a server program 12 over a computer network such as a LAN or the Internet 14, using a well-established, mutually understood protocol such as RESTful HTTP or HTTPS, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The request 11 includes asking for the capabilities of a Policy Capability (PC) server program 12 for a specific data type T_(D). The server program 12 receives this request 11 and prepares a response 13. The response 13 comprises a list of derived data virtualization policies for T_(D), and parameters for each derived data type. The server program 12 sends the response 13 to the client program 10 over a computer network 15 such as a LAN or the Internet, using a well-established, mutually understood protocol such as RESTful HTTP or HTTPS. Network 15 can be the same as or different from network 14.

FIG. 6 is a workflow diagram of the part of the embodiment of the invention where a client program 20 transfers a data file D and a data file virtualization policy P_(D) to a server program 22 over a computer network such as a LAN or the Internet 24, using a well-established, mutually understood protocol such as RESTful HTTP or HTTPS, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the client program 20 sends a request 21 to the server 22. In one embodiment, the client program 20 sends request 21 by transferring the P_(D), and one or more data files, such that P_(D) is associated with each data file D to server 22. If D is one data file, there is a one-to-one relationship between P_(D) and D, where P_(D) is the data file virtualization policy for D. If D comprises a plurality of data files, there is a one-to-many relationship between P_(D) and D, where P_(D) is the data file virtualization policy for each data file D of the plurality of data files. The server program specializes in the ingestion of D and P_(D). The ingest server program 22 receives the request 21 and stores D and P_(D). The server 22 transfers D and P_(D) to a storage device 26. For each data file D in the one or more data files, the ingest server program 22 prepares a unique identifier, for example a UUID, or a URI, as part of the response to the client program 20, to identify a data file D and its associated policy P_(D). The identifier is referred to herein as I_(D). The ingest server program 22 transmits that information as part of a response 23 to the client program 20 using over a computer network 25 such as a LAN or the Internet, using a well-established, mutually understood protocol such as RESTful HTTP or HTTPS. The client receives this response and the cycle of data transfer continues. The network 25 can be the same as or different from network 24.

FIG. 7 depicts a first data file virtualization policy P_(D) for a first data file D that expresses a client program's intent to access a sequence of N virtual derived data files D₁ to D_(N), where N>0, according to an embodiment of the present invention. A data file virtualization policy is represented by the symbol P_(D). One P_(D) applies to one first data file D. One P_(D) can also apply to a one or more first data files. A P_(D) includes a set of hierarchical properties, and can be represented in a standard format, for example XML, JSON, or NetCDF for transmission over a computer network.

As shown in FIG. 7 a policy P_(D 30 for a first data file D may include at least the following items:)

-   1. The name of the first data file D -   2. The data type T_(D) of the first data file D -   3. A Boolean flag set to either True or False, where True indicates     intent of client program 20 to request for derived data -   4. A list of derived data types that the client program 20 intends     to retrieve, in addition to data file D -   5. For each derived data type, the client program 20 has a list of     parameters that the server program 22 supports for configuring and     controlling the content for a derived data file. This list can be     obtained by the client via a prior request to a PC server program     12. The client 20 provides a list of parameters or configuration     attributes to control the content of the derived data type. As an     example, such a list of parameters may include other data files that     may also contribute to the generation of the associated derived data     file. As another example, such a list of parameters may include     on-off flags, optional or required values that contribute to the     generation of the associated derived data file.

As shown in FIG. 7, a policy P_(D) for a first data file D 30 is interpreted by a server program 22 that disseminates data files to any interested and permitted client program 20. The server program 22 has a policy P_(D) for a first data file D. The policy P_(D) indicates the intent of a client program 20 to access derived data files D_(1 . . . N). The server program 22 shows to the client program 20, a list including the first data file D, its size S_(D), and additional information about the file D. If P_(D) indicates the intent for additional derived data files D_(1 . . . N), then the server program 22 also shows additional N file entries. Each data file entry is virtual starting from file D₁, D₂, up to D_(N). This means, the data files D₁, D₂, up to D_(N) do not exist on the storage device 26. When asked for, they are generated on-demand, dynamically. The Primary Data Stream from Data File D of size S_(D) and of data type T_(D) is shown by the server program 22 in the directory listing 32 generated using information about D and information provided in P_(D 30. If P) _(D) also indicates the client program's 20 intent to use derived virtual data files D_(1 . . . N), the server program 22 generates N additional directory entries for dynamically generated virtual derived data file D₁ 34, dynamically generated virtual derived data file D₂ 36, up to and including dynamically generated virtual derived data file D_(N) 38.

FIG. 8 depicts an example of a first data file virtualization policy for storing a first data file of data type Point Cloud LiDAR, and depicts how that policy results in the client eventually being able to access the first data file and a one or more virtual derived data files from the server, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows an example of a policy P_(D) 40 applied to a data file D of data type T_(D) of Point Cloud LiDAR LAS. P_(D) applies to data file D, named FILENAME.1000.LAS. P_(D) can be in any known format, for example XML or JSON. The policy specifies that it applies to data file D of name FILENAME.1000.LAS. It specifies that it is of data type Point Cloud LiDAR. It specifies that the format of the data file is LAS version 1.3. It specifies that the client intends to access additional derived virtual data types. It lists the first derived virtual data type to be a Reduced Resolution Point Cloud. A set of parameters may be provided to define how the Reduced Resolution Point Cloud is to be generated. Subsequent entries describe additional virtual derived data types that the client intends to access. In a subsequent HTTP 1.1 WebDAV PROPFIND request, the server program 22 shows to the client program 20, a directory listing 42 including the primary first data file D, which is FILENAME.1000.LAS. In addition, the server 22 also shows to the client program 20, an additional three virtual derived data files. These three data files are named FILENAME.1000.R-SET.LAS, FILENAME.1000.METADATA.XML, and FILENAME.1000.DEM.TIF. These files do not exist on the server-side storage device 26. If the client program 20 requests any one of the three derived data files using a subsequent HTTP GET, for example HTTP 1.1 GET and HTTP 1.1 WebDAV GET request, the server program 22 generates the files on-demand, dynamically, using data stored in FILENAME.1000.LAS and P_(D) 50.

FIG. 9 depicts an example of a first data file virtualization policy for storing a first data file of data type WAMI Frame, and depicts how that policy results in the client eventually being able to access the first data file and a one or more virtual derived data files from the server, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 shows an example of a policy P_(D) 50 applied to a data file D of data type T_(D) of WAMI Frame. P_(D) applies to data file D, named MISSIONNAME.001000.JP2. P_(D) can be in any known format, for example XML or JSON. The policy specifies that it applies to data file D of name MISSIONNAME.001000.JP2. It specifies that it is of data type WAMI Frame. It specifies that the format of the data file is GeoJP2. It specifies the image and tile pixel sizes, and compression ratio. It specifies that the client intends to access additional derived virtual data types. It lists the first derived virtual data type to be a Reduced Resolution Dataset-1. A set of parameters may be provided to define how the Reduced Resolution Dataset is to be generated, for example for Reduced Resolution Dataset-1, the data format is to be GeoJP2, its pixel width and height are both to be 4800, its compression ratio is to be 15, with the client program expressing its intent to access the data. Subsequent entries describe additional virtual derived data types that the client intends to access. In a subsequent HTTP 1.1 WebDAV PROPFIND request, the server program 22 shows to the client program 20, a directory listing 52 including the primary first data file D, which is MISSIONNAME.001000.JP2. In addition, the server 22 also shows to the client program 20, an additional three virtual derived data files. These three data files are named MISSIONNAME.001000.R-SET1.JP2, MISSIONNAME.001000.R-SET2.JP2, and MISSIONNAME.001000.METADATAXML. These files do not exist on the server-side storage device 26. If the client program 20 requests any one of the three derived data files using a subsequent HTTP GET request, the server program 22 generates the files on-demand, dynamically, using data stored in MISSIONNAME.001000.JP2 and P_(D) 50.

An example of a RESTful HTTP GET request to obtain a list of PC for a T_(D) of Point Cloud LiDAR LAS files is provided below, as described above with respect to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8.

http://example.com/hcfs-pc- server?SERVICE=HiPERCloudFS&VERSION=1.0.0&REQUEST= GetPolicyCapabilities&DataType=PC-LiDAR-LAS&FORMAT=text/xml

An example of a RESTful HTTP POST request to obtain a list of PC for a T_(D) of Point Cloud LiDAR LAS files is provided below, as described above with respect to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8. The value of length is the number of bytes of subsequent data in the HTTP request.

POST /hcfs-pc-server HTTP/1.1 Host: example.com Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8 Content-Length: length <?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“utf-8”?> <hcfs:GetPolicyCapabilities xmlns:hcfs=“http://www.example.com/hcfs” service=“HiPERCloudFS” version=“1.0.0” dataType=“PC-LiDAR-LAS” format=“text/xml”/>

Based on the prior example of an HTTP GET or POST request of GetPolicyCapabilities, an example of a response from the server program 22 is provided below. Such a response is dependent on the specification for communication between a client program 20 and the server program 22.

<?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“utf-8” ?> <hcfs:PolicyCapabilities xmlns:hcfs=“http://www.example.com/hcfs” version=“1.0.0”>  <hcfs:SupportedPolicy name=“PC-LiDAR-LAS”>   <hcfs:Parameter name=“Policy”>    <hcfs:Attribute name=“derivedDataAccessIntent”>     <hcfs:AllowedValues>      <hcfs:Value>True</hcfs:Value>      <hcfs:Value>False</hcfs:Value>     </hcfs:AllowedValues>    </hcfs:Attribute>    <hcfs:Attribute name=“dataTypeName”>     <hcfs:AllowedValues>      <hcfs:Value>Point Cloud LiDAR</hcfs:Value>      <hcfs:Value>PC LiDAR</hcfs:Value>      <hcfs:Value>LiDAR Point Cloud</hcfs:Value>     </hcfs:AllowedValues>    </hcfs:Attribute>    <hcfs:Attribute name=“fileCount” />    <hcfs:Attribute name=“format”>     <hcfs:AllowedValues>      <hcfs:Value>application/x-las- 10</hcfs:Value>      <hcfs:Value>application/x-las- 11</hcfs:Value>      <hcfs:Value>application/x-las- 12</hcfs:Value>      <hcfs:Value>application/x-las- 13</hcfs:Value>     </hcfs:AllowedValues>    </hcfs:Attribute>    <hcfs:Parameter name=“filename” />   </hcfs:Parameter>   <hcfs:DerivedDataTypes>    <hcfs:DataType name=“Metadata”>     <hcfs:Parameter name=“DerivedData”>      <hcfs:Attribute name=“dataTypeName”>       <hcfs:AllowedValues>        <hcfs:Value>Metadata</hcfs:Value>       </hcfs:AllowedValues>      </hcfs:Attribute>      <hcfs:Attribute name=“format”>       <hcfs:AllowedValues>        <hcfs:Value>text/xml</hcfs:Value> <hcfs:Value>application/json</hcfs:Value>       </hcfs:AllowedValues>      </hcfs:Attribute>      <hcfs:Attribute name=“schemaHint”>       <hcfs:AllowedValues>        <hcfs:Value>OGC SensorML v1. 0.1</hcfs:Value>        <hcfs:Value>Something else</hcfs:Value>       </hcfs:AllowedValues>      </hcfs:Attribute>      <hcfs:Attribute name=“derivedDataAccessIntent”>       <hcfs:AllowedValues defaultValue=“True”>        <hcfs:Value>True</hcfs:Value>        <hcfs:Value>False</hcfs:Value>       </hcfs:AllowedValues>      </hcfs:Attribute>     </hcfs:Parameter>    </hcfs:DataType>    <hcfs:DataType name=“RRD for Point Cloud LiDAR”>     <!-- information about this data type -->    </hcfs:DataType>    <hcfs:DataType name=“DEM”>     <!-- information about this data type -->    </hcfs:DataType>   </hcfs:DerivedDataTypes>  </hcfs:SupportedPolicy> </hcfs:PolicyCapabilities>

An example of a RESTful HTTP POST request to send P_(D) to the data storage server program is provided below, as described above with respect to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8. The service may return a policy identifier UUID to permit subsequent data file D uploads that are linked to this policy.

POST /hcfs-ingest-server HTTP/1.1 Host: example.com Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8 Content-Length: length <?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“utf-8”?> <hcfs:PutPolicy xmlns:hcfs=“http://www.example.com/hcfs” service=“HiPERCloudFS” version=“1.0.0” dataType=“PC-LiDAR-LAS” format=“text/xml”>  <hcfs:Policy     dataTypeName=“Point Cloud LiDAR”     format=“application/x-las-13”     fileCount=“12”     derivedDataAccessIntent=“True”>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1000.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1001.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1002.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1003.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1004.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1005.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1006.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1007.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1008.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1009.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1010.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1011.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:DerivedData    dataTypeName=“Metadata”    format=“text/xml”    schema=“http://someurl/path”    schemaHint=“OGC SensorML v1.0.1”    derivedDataAccessIntent=“True”/>   <hcfs:DerivedData    dataTypeName=“RRD for Point Cloud LiDAR”    format=“application/x-las-13”    maxPointsHint=“10000000”    maxMegabytesHint=“5.0”    minRRDPercent=“50.0”    derivedDataAccessIntent=“True”/>   <hcfs:DerivedData    dataTypeName=“DEM”    format=“GeoTIFF”    gsd=“0.5”    gsdUnits=“meter”    crs=“EPSG:4326”    compression=“True”    compressionCodec=“Gzip”    tile=“True”    tileWidth=“1024”    tileHeight=“1024”    codeValueDataType=“f32”    derivedDataAccessIntent=“True”/>  </hcfs:Policy> </hcfs:PutPolicy>

An example of a RESTful HTTP POST request to send D to the data storage server program is provided below, as described above with respect to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8. The service could return a file identifier per file in D to permit client-side data integrity management.

POST /hcfs-ingest-server HTTP/1.1 Host: example.com Content-Type: multipart/mixed, boundary=--XXX Content-Length: length --XXX Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8 <?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“utf-8”?> <hcfs:PutData xmlns:hcfs=“http://www.example.com/hcfs” service=“HiPERCloudFS” version=“1.0.0” dataType=“PC-LiDAR-LAS” format=“text/xml” fileCount=“12” policyIdentifier=“3ff89845122e3cce4bbaad5ab2a8b3f2”/> --XXX Content-type: application/x-las-13 Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=filename.1000.las Binary Data for filename.1000.las ... --XXX Content-type: application/x-las-13 Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=filename.1001.las Binary Data for filename.1001.las ...

An example of a RESTful HTTP POST request to send both P_(D) and D to the data storage server program is provided below, as described above with respect to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8, an. The service could return a file identifier for file D to permit client-side data integrity management.

POST /hcfs-ingest-server HTTP/1.1 Host: example.com Content-Type: multipart/mixed, boundary=--XXX Content-Length: length --XXX Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8 <?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“utf-8”?> <hcfs:PutPolicyAndData xmlns:hcfs=“http://www.example.com/hcfs” service=“HiPERCloudFS” version=“1.0.0” dataType=“PC-LiDAR-LAS” format=“application/x-las-13” fileCount=“1” > </hcfs:PutPolicyAndData> --XXX Content-type: text/xml; charset=utf-8 <?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“utf-8”?> <hcfs:Policy  xmlns:hcfs=“http://www.example.com/hcfs”  dataTypeName=“Point Cloud LiDAR”  format=“application/x-las-13”  derivedDataAccessIntent=“True”>   <hcfs:filename>filename.1000.las</hcfs:filename>   <hcfs:DerivedData    dataTypeName=“RRD for Point Cloud LiDAR”    format=“application/x-las-13”    maxPointsHint=“10000000”    maxMegabytesHint=“5.0”    minRRDPercent=“50.0”    derivedDataAccessIntent=“True”/>   <hcfs:DerivedData    dataTypeName=“Metadata”    format=“text/xml”    schema=“http://someurl/path”    schemaHint=“OGC SensorML v1.0.0”    derivedDataAccessIntent=“True”/>   <hcfs:DerivedData    dataTypeName=“DEM”    format=“GeoTIFF”    gsd=“0.5”    gsdUnits=“meter”    crs=“EPSG:4326”    compression=“True”    compressionCodec=“Gzip”    tile=“True”    tileWidth=“1024”    tileHeight=“1024”    codeValueDataType=“f32”    derivedDataAccessIntent=“True”/> </hcfs:Policy> --XXX Content-type: application/x-las-13 Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=filename.1000.las Binary Data for filename.1000.las ...

FIG. 10 depicts the workflow of server program 22 taking one or more first data files and corresponding first data file virtualization policies and storing them to storage device 26, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, the server program 22 ingests one or more first data files D 60 into storage device 26. The server program 22 receives from the client program 20, a data virtualization policy P_(D) 62 and one or more first data files 60. In one embodiment, the server program 22 stores the data virtualization policy P_(D) 62 on the storage device 26 as a logical object, either as a file on the storage device 26 or as an object on an object storage device (OSD), or as entries in a database. The server program 22 associates each first data file D 60 in the one or more first data files with the corresponding data virtualization policy P_(D) 62 as specified by the client program 20. The association is recorded on the storage device 26.

In one embodiment, the server program 22 provides a service to any interested and permitted client program 20 to get a directory listing of the first data file D 60, and a one or more one or more derived virtual data files D_(1 . . . N). The total number and type of derived virtual data files depends on the intent of a client program to access the total number and type of derived virtual data files, as specified in the data virtualization policy P_(D) 62, where P_(D) 62 is associated with the first data file D 60. The data file D 60 physically exists on the server-side storage device 26. A one or more second derived data files D_(1 . . . N) exist virtually on the server-side 26, i.e. the one or more second derived data files D_(1 . . . N) do not exist physically as a sequence of bytes on the server-side storage device 26, but the server program 22 presents to the client program 20 that such files exist.

FIG. 11 depicts the workflow of server program 22 implementing a PROPFIND request in HTTP 1.1 WebDAV and presenting a directory listing of a first data file and one or more virtual derived data files that are presented based on a first data file virtualization policy corresponding to the first data file, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the workflow diagram in FIG. 11, the server program 22 provides an HTTP 1.1 WebDAV PROPFIND service 70 to provide such a directory listing. The directory list includes the first data file D 60 and a one or more virtual derived data files D_(1 . . . N) 64. The list of D_(1 . . . N) are derived using information from a first data file virtualization policy P_(D[1 . . . N]) 62 that is associated with data D 60.

FIG. 12 depicts the workflow of a server program implementing a HEAD request in HTTP 1.1 WebDAV for information on either a first data file or any corresponding virtual derived data file, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the server program 22 fulfills an HTTP HEAD, for example HTTP 1.1 WebDAV HEAD or HTTP 1.1 HEAD request from the client program 20. At S30, the server program 22 checks to see if the request was made for the first data file D or for a derived data file D_(J) from a one or more derived data files D_(1 . . . N). If the request was made for D, the server prepares, at S32, a response for D and transmits it, at S34, to the client program 20 over a computer network 25, for example, LAN or Internet. Hence, the client program 20 receives the response from the program server 22. If, on the other hand, the request was made for D_(J), it is known to the server program 22 that D_(J) does not exist on the storage device 26. D_(J) is a virtual derived data file, derived from D 60, and based on P_(D[J]) 62, which is the data virtualization policy for the virtual derived data file D_(J) from the overall data virtualization policy P_(D) 62 for data D 60. At S36, the server program 22 computes the size of D_(J) using data from data D 60 and policy P_(D[J]) 62. Following computing the size of of D_(J), the server 22 prepares a response for data D, at S38, and transmits the response, at S39, to the client program 20 over a computer network 27, for example, LAN or Internet. The network 27 can be the same as or different from the network 25.

FIG. 13 depicts the workflow of a server program implementing an HTTP GET request, for example HTTP 1.1 WebDAV GET or HTTP 1.1 GET, for downloading data from either a first data file or any corresponding virtual derived data file, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, the server program 22 fulfills an HTTP GET request from the client program 20. The GET request can be made by the client program 20 to read data from a data file D 60 starting from file offset O, of S-bytes in size. The server program 22 checks, at S40, to see if the request is made for the first data file D 60 or for a derived data file D_(J) from a one or more derived data files D_(1 . . . N). If the request is made for data D 60, the server prepares, at S42, a response for data D 60 and transmits the response, at S44, to the client program 20 over the computer network 25, for example, LAN or Internet. To prepare the response, the server program 22 has the request from the client program 20 to retrieve data from data D 60 starting from offset O, of size S. The size of the first data file D 60 is S_(D) bytes, where 0<O<S_(D) and 0<(O+S)≦S_(D). Using these values, at S42, the server program 22 reads S bytes from D, starting from offset O. The server program 22 prepares and transmits the response, at S44, to the client program 20. The client program 20 receives the response from the server program 22. If the request is made for D_(J), the server program 22 knows that D_(J) does not exist on the storage device 26. D_(J) is a virtual derived data file, derived from data file D 60. The server program computes, at S46, the virtual size S_(DJ) of D_(J) using data from the first data file D 60 and the data virtualization policy P_(D[J]) 62, which is the data virtualization policy for the virtual derived data file D_(J) from the overall data virtualization policy P_(D) for data file D. Using information from P_(D[J]) 62 and data from data D 60, the server program 22 computes, at S46, one or more offsets and sizes within data D that are needed and sufficient to dynamically generate S virtual bytes, starting from virtual offset O from the virtual derived data file D. It may not be possible to compute what is needed from data D 60 to generate D. In that case, all data is read from data D 60. The server program 22 then reads the desired data from data D 60 and generates, at S48, derived data for D. The server program 22 then transmits, at S49, S bytes for D_(J), starting from offset O. The client program 20 receives the response from the server program 22.

FIG. 14 depicts a flowchart of a server program 22 implementing a PROPFIND request in HTTP 1.1 WebDAV, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method to implement the workflow shown in FIG. 11. The PROPFIND request is implemented to get a directory listing for a first data file D and a one or more virtual derived data files D_(1 . . . N). The method begins at S50. The server program 22 receives an HTTP 1.1 WebDAV PROPFIND request R_(D) from client program 20, at S52. The intention of the client program 20 is to discover a first data file D, that the client program 20 had entrusted the server program 22. The PROPFIND request is made by the client program 20 requesting for a directory listing starting from the physical or virtual folder containing D, or any prior folder, with appropriate DEPTH option specified. At S53, the server program 22 validates R_(D) to verify that the request is syntactically and semantically correct and that the requesting client 20 is permitted to access the data. If successful, the method loads, at S54, a first data file virtualization policy P_(D) associated with D. At S55, the method prepares a directory listing entry for D as a response to the PROPFIND request R_(D) (i.e., for file D, a physical file entry is added in response for Rd), including the pre-assigned name of a first data file D, the size S_(D) (in bytes) of data D, and any additional attributes of data D that are permitted in a PROPFIND response for building a valid PROPFIND response by the server program 22. At S56, the method checks to see if the client 20 had expressed the intent of requesting additional virtual derived data files (i.e., to check whether derived data is requested in P_(D)). If yes, the method continues to S57. If no, the method continues to S62. At S57, the method loops for each entry J, from one or more entries 1 to N from P_(D(1 . . . N)). Each entry J in P_(D(1 . . . N)) refers to a virtual derived data file D_(J) of a specific and defined data type, as defined by the client program in a prior upload of P_(D), and its association with D. For each entry J, the method computes the size of a second derived data file D, at S58. At S59, the method further computes the name and remaining PROPFIND response attributes for D_(J). The method then adds a directory list entry for a second derived data file D_(J), at S60. The method then inquires if the end of derived data type list is reached, at S61. If yes, the loop has come to its end, when J is N, the method continues to S62, otherwise the method repeats the computing, etc. by providing a next entry J from 1 to N in the derived data type list, at S57. At S62, the method prepares a PROPFIND response comprising one file entry for data D and a one or more N virtual derived data file entries for a second virtual derived data files D_(1 . . . N). The method finally ends at S63.

FIG. 15 depicts a schematic of an unbuffered aligned direct I/O operation on a first data file as implemented by a server program 22 to fulfill a HTTP GET request (e.g., a HTTP 1.1 WebDAV GET request), according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 depicts the computation used to determine a file offset O′ and file size S′ from the first data file that is aligned to an integer multiple of the storage device block size, according to an embodiment of the present invention. A storage device block size is defined as the size in bytes of the smallest possible input-output (I/O) operation performed by a storage device management software program that manages the storage device 26 and implements the POSIX file system. For example, the storage device block size can be of any byte-size, such as 512 bytes, 1024 bytes, 2048 bytes, or 4096 bytes, etc. The symbol B_(SZ) denotes a value greater than zero, that is an integer multiple of the storage device block size. For example, a storage device block size can be 512 bytes and B_(SZ), as the integer multiple of a storage device block size, can be 512 bytes, 1024 bytes, 2048 bytes, or 4096 bytes, etc. As another example, a storage device block size can be 4096 bytes and B_(SZ), as the integer multiple of a storage device block size, can be 4096 bytes, 8192 bytes, or 16384 bytes, etc. A first data file D is of size S_(D) bytes, where S_(D)>0 is shown in FIG. 15. The intent is to read either S_(D) bytes from D starting the beginning of the file, or read S bytes from data file D, starting from offset O relative to the start of the file, where 0 ≦O<S_(D), and 0<O+S≦S_(D). As shown in FIG. 15, file offset 0 is the start of data file D. S_(D) is the size of data file D in bytes and S_(D) is greater than zero bytes. The intent is to read S bytes from data file D, from offset O. S is the size of the read operation. O is the starting offset for the read operation. A single large unbuffered aligned direct I/O read operation may involve programming of one or more unbuffered aligned direct I/O read operations. Together, they provide reading the desired number of bytes from the offset of the single large unbuffered aligned direct I/O read operation. All read operations follow the offset and size computations depicted herein. Each read request in the one or more unbuffered aligned direct I/O read operations may be issued in sequence or in parallel, synchronously or asynchronously, based on available features on specific file system and operating system implementations.

As shown in FIGS. 15, S and O may not be aligned to the storage device block size. To issue an unbuffered aligned direct I/O operation to read S bytes starting from offset O, we need to read S′ bytes starting from offset O′, where O′ is defined is an offset from the start of file D that is less than O and the nearest value to O that is an integer multiple of the storage device block size. Thus, O′ is an integer multiple of B_(SZ). The value of O′ is computed based on the formula O′=O−(O % B_(SZ)). S′ is the number of bytes to read starting from offset O′, where S′ is an integer multiple of the storage device block size, and S′ is a value such that if a computer program issues a read request of size S′ starting from O′, then the computer program has read at least S bytes starting from offset O. The value of S′ is computed based on the formula S′=(|O−O′|+S)+(B_(SZ)−((|O−O′|+S) % B_(SZ))) % B_(SZ). To read S bytes, starting from offset O from data file D, we issue an unbuffered aligned direct I/O read request to read aligned S′ bytes, starting from aligned offset O′, for example

READ_UNBUFFERED_USING_DIRECT_IO ( ), from a file, for example FILE, starting from offset O′, of size S′ bytes, into computer memory, for example MEMORY_BUFFER.

As it can be appreciated, the operation A % B between two integers A and B includes calculating the remainder of A divided by B. For example 1024% 512 is 0, 1023% 512 is 511, and 1025% 512 is 1. In A % B, the % operator is the modulo operator, representing the mathematical operation A modulo B, also represented as A mod B or A MOD B. The operation|A-B| between two integers A and B represents calculating the difference between A and B and taking the positive value of the difference between A and B. However, as it can be appreciated, if the difference between A and B is positive then the operation of taking the absolute value may not be needed. Therefore, the symbol|A-B| such as in|O-O′| should be interpreted herein broadly to mean calculating the difference between A and B with or without taking the absolute value of the difference.

As shown in FIG. 15, S_(D)' is a value that is greater than or equal to S_(D), and S_(D)' is an integer multiple of B_(SZ). Its value is computed as S_(D)'=S_(D)+(B_(SZ)−(S_(D)% B_(SZ))) % B_(SZ). To read the entire file D, one needs to read S_(D) bytes. Since we are using an unbuffered aligned direct I/O operation, we need to issue a read request of size aligned to B_(SZ). That size is S_(D)'. To read entire file D, of size S_(D), we issue an unbuffered aligned direct I/O read function, for example READ_UNBUFFERED_USING_DIRECT_IO ( ), from a file, for example FILE, starting from offset 0, of size S_(D)' bytes, into computer memory, for example MEMORY_BUFFER.

FIG. 16 depicts a flowchart of method of implementing a HTTP GET request (e.g., a HTTP 1.1 WebDAV GET request) for reading whole or part of a first data file using one or more unbuffered aligned direct I/O operations, by a server program 22, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method includes reading data from file D using an unbuffered (also known as non-cached) Direct I/O method reading bytes that are an integer multiple of B_(SZ), from a file offset that is also an integer multiple of B_(SZ). B_(SZ) is in turn an integer multiple of the storage device block size. In one embodiment, the method implements a part of the workflow specified in FIG. 13 that requests for data from the first data file D.

As shown in FIG. 16, the method begins at S70. The server program 22 receives a HTTP GET request G_(D) from a client program 20, at S71. At S71, in the GET request G_(D), a client program 20 has requested for one of two possible types of a GET request. The client program 20 has either issued a first request of type GET byte-range to GET one or more S-bytes starting from offset O from a first data file D or has issued a second request to GET the entire data file D, where the size data file D is S_(D) bytes and S_(D) is greater than 0. The first request size of one or more S-bytes starting from offset of O, such that O is greater than or equal to zero and S+O is less than or equal to S_(D). At S72 the request is validated, for example for request syntax correctness, valid data range, existence of the file, and security access rights. At S73 the method checks to see if the request was a first GET byte-range request or a second request to get the entire data file D. If it was a first GET byte-range request, then the method continues at S74. If it was not a GET byte-range request, then it was a second request to get the entire data file D of size S_(D), and the method continues at S75. At S74, the method checks if the GET byte-range request asked for the entire file, that is, it checks to see if S is S_(D) and of O is zero. If yes, the first byte-range request is equivalent to the second request to get the entire file, and the method continues at S75. If no, the first byte-range request continues at S78.

As shown in FIG. 16, at S75, the method computes S_(D)' that is aligned to B_(SZ), an integer multiple of the storage device block size using the formula S_(D)'=S_(D)+ (B_(SZ)−(S_(D) % B_(SZ))) % B_(SZ). At S76, the method issues a read request for S_(D)' bytes from the start of data file D. The read request includes one or more Unbuffered Aligned Direct IO read operations, also aligned to B_(SZ). The requested data is transferred into computer memory. Since S_(D)' may be greater than S_(D), and since S_(D) is the size of the data file D, the read operation may request for data past the end of file (EOF) marker. Reading past the EOF marker is permitted in the POSIX standard. At S77, S_(D) bytes of data file D are transmitted or sent from computer memory to the client program 20 over a computer network as part of a response to the GET request G_(D). The method ends at S81.

As shown in FIG. 16, just prior to S78, the method has verified that the request is a first GET byte-range request for S-bytes starting from offset O within the data file D. At S78, the method computes S′ and O′, aligned to B_(SZ), an integer multiple of the storage device block size, using the formulae O′=O−(O % B_(SZ)) and S′=(|O−O′|+S)+(B_(SZ)−((|O−O′|+S) % B_(SZ))) % B_(SZ). At S79, the method issues a read request to read S′ bytes starting from offset O′ relative to the start of data file D. The read request includes one or more Unbuffered Aligned Direct IO read operations, also aligned to B_(SZ). The requested data is transferred into computer memory. The first GET byte-range request asked for data starting from offset O. Bytes from offset O′ to O were not requested. In computer memory, the bytes start from offset O′. Therefore, at S80, the method sends or transmits S-bytes starting from offset|O−O′| in the computer memory as a valid response to the GET request G_(D), to the client program 20 over a computer network. The method ends at S81.

FIG. 17 depicts a flowchart of a server program 22 implementing a HTTP GET request (e.g., a HTTP 1.1 WebDAV GET request) for reading whole or part of a second virtual derived data file using one or more unbuffered aligned direct I/O operations on a first data file denoted by D and using a first data file virtualization policy denoted by P_(D[1 . . . N]) or P_(D), according to an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, the method implements a part of the method described in FIG. 13. The method dynamically computes and derives data for a second virtual derived data file D_(J) where D_(J) is one of virtual derived data files D_(1 . . . N), derived from a first data file D and first data file virtualization policy P_(D). The derived data file D_(J) does not exist physically on a computer storage device. It is generated dynamically by the server program 22 on demand.

As shown in FIG. 17, the method begins at S90. The server program 22 receives a HTTP GET request G_(D) from a client program 20 at S91. In G_(D), the client program 20 has issued either a GET byte-range request for a one or more S_(j)-bytes starting from offset O_(J) from a second virtual derived data file D_(J) or has issued a GET request to retrieve the entire second virtual derived data file D_(J). The request G_(D) is validated at S92 for example, for syntax, and security. The server program 22 loads the data virtualization policy P_(D), associated with D and validates D_(J) as a valid deliverable virtual derived data file, at S93. Using P_(D) and D, the size S_(Dj) of D_(J) is computed at S94. The values of O_(j) and S_(j) are validated against S_(Dj), such that 0≦O_(j)<S_(Dj), and 0<O_(j)≦S_(j)≦S_(Dj) at S95. At S96, the method checks to see if the GET request is a byte-range request or not a byte-range request, i.e. a request to GET the entire S_(Dj) bytes from the virtual derived data file D. If the GET request is a byte-range request, the method continues to S97. At S97, the method further checks if S_(j)=S_(Dj) and O_(j)=0. If yes, the method continues to S98. If not, the method continues to S101. At S98, the method checks if partial data can be generated for D_(J) at all. If yes, the method continues to S99, else the method continues to S101.

As shown in FIG. 17, at S99, the method generates partial data for virtual file D_(J), by reading and processing some or all bytes from the first data file D. The partial data is S_(j) bytes in size and represents data within the virtual derived data file D_(J), starting from virtual offset O_(j), as if it were a physical file on a storage device. The method then continues to S100 where the S bytes are transmitted or sent to a client program 20 as part of the response to G_(D). At S101, the method generates the complete S_(Dj) bytes for D_(J) in computer memory, using data in P_(D) and reading D as a whole or in part. The method then transmits, at S102, S_(j) bytes starting from offset O_(j) from the S_(Dj) bytes of computer memory, to client program 20 as part of the response to G_(D). The method ends at S103. When reading from the first data file D, one or more unbuffered aligned direct I/O read operations are performed. Each read operation reads a specified number of bytes that are an integer multiple of B_(SZ), from an offset that is an integer multiple of B_(SZ), where B_(SZ) is an integer multiple of the storage device block size of the storage devices containing the data, and is based on the method depicted in FIG. 15.

Various parts of the embodiments of the present invention perform one or more read operations from a first data file D, for example as specified in S76 and S79 in the flowchart depicted in FIG. 16 and in S99 and S101 in the flowchart depicted in FIG. 17. The read operation itself is implemented using an interface based on the POSIX standard. To read data starting from any offset O, an aligned offset O′=O−(O % B_(SZ)) is computed. To read any S-bytes starting from any offset O, an aligned size-S′=(|O−O′|+S)+(B_(SZ)−((|O−O′|+S) % B_(SZ))) % B_(SZ) is computed. A read operation starting at O′, and having a size of S′ bytes is sufficient to efficiently read all data starting from O and having a size of S bytes. If, for example, the entire data file D of size S_(D) is to be read, an aligned size S_(D)'=S_(D)+(B_(SZ)−(S_(D) % B_(SZ))) % B_(SZ) is computed. S_(D)' can be past the end of first data file D. The POSIX specification permits a read operation past the end of a data file. If the S′ is too large in size, the read request can be broken up into more than one read requests, each of a size that is an integer multiple of B_(SZ). B_(SZ) is an integer multiple of the storage device block size of the storage devices containing the data.

As it can be appreciated from the above paragraphs, a server program is a computer program that is configured to run on a computer system (e.g., a computer server having one or more processors), and a client program is a computer program that is configured to run on a computer system (e.g., a client computer having one or more processors). The computer systems running the client program and the server program can be the same or different computer systems. The computer system running the server program or the computer system running the client program, or both, can include one or more computers. The client program may be running on one or more computers. Similarly, the server program may be running on one or more computers. The computer systems running client programs and server programs communicate with each other over a network. The network may be a wired network, a wireless network (e.g., a cellular network), the internet, etc.

In some embodiments, programs for performing the methods or services in accordance with embodiments of the invention can be embodied as program products in a computer system such as a personal computer or server or in a distributed computing environment comprising a plurality of computers. The computer may include, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a handheld computing device such as a PDA, a tablet, etc. The computer program (e.g., server program, client program) products may include a computer readable medium or storage medium or media having instructions stored thereon used to program a computer to perform the methods described above. Examples of suitable storage medium or media include any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, DVDs, CD ROMs, magnetic optical disks, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, hard disk, flash card (e.g., a USB flash card), PCMCIA memory card, smart card, or other media. Alternatively, a portion or the whole computer program product can be downloaded from a remote computer or server via a network such as the internet, an ATM network, a wide area network (WAN) or a local area network.

Stored on one or more of the computer readable media, the program may include software for controlling both the hardware of a general purpose or specialized computer or processor. The software also enables the computer or processor to interact with a user via output devices such as a graphical user interface, head mounted display (HMD), etc. The software may also include, but is not limited to, device drivers, operating systems and user applications.

Alternatively, instead or in addition to implementing the methods described above as computer program product(s) (e.g., as software products) embodied in a computer, the method described above can be implemented as hardware in which for example an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or graphics processing unit or units (GPU) can be designed to implement the method or methods of the present invention.

The various databases described herein may be, include, or interface to, for example, an Oracle™ relational database sold commercially by Oracle Corporation. Other databases, such as Informix™, DB2 (Database 2) or other data storage, including file-based, or query formats, platforms, or resources such as OLAP (On Line Analytical Processing), SQL (Standard Query Language), a SAN (storage area network), Microsoft Access™ or others may also be used, incorporated, or accessed. The database may comprise one or more such databases that reside in one or more physical devices and in one or more physical locations. The database may store a plurality of types of data and/or files and associated data or file descriptions, administrative information, or any other data.

Although the various steps of the above method(s) are described in the above paragraphs as occurring in a certain order, the present application is not bound by the order in which the various steps occur. In fact, in alternative embodiments, the various steps can be executed in an order different from the order described above.

Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.

Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those of skill in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation described herein. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents should be considered as falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

What is claimed:
 1. A method, implemented by a client computer system, of requesting information from a server computer system, the method comprising: receiving, by the client computer system from the server computer system, a list of derived data types that can be generated by the server computer system; generating, by the client computer system, a first data file virtualization policy using the list of derived data types, the first data file virtualization policy indicating intent by the client computer to request or retrieve at least a portion of one or more second derived data files at the server computer system; and sending, by the client computer system to the server computer system, a first data file and the first data file virtualization policy for storage in a storage device in communication with the server computer system, the first data file virtualization policy being useable by the server computer system to create one or more second virtual data files from the first data file, the one or more second virtual data files not being stored on the storage device, the one or more second virtual data files being listed in a directory listing at the server computer system such that the one or more second virtual data files appear to the client computer system as if the one or more second virtual data files are stored in the storage device, the one or more second virtual data files corresponding to the one or more second derived data files.
 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending, by the client computer system, a request to the server computer system for the directory listing, the directory listing including information about the first data file and information about the one or more second virtual data files.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein sending the request comprises sending a PROPFIND request through HTTP 1.1 WebDAV protocol.
 4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending, by the client computer system to the server computer system, a request for information about a second virtual data file.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein sending the request comprises sending a HEAD request through HTTP protocol.
 6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending, by the client computer system to the server computer system, a request to retrieve at least a portion of the one or more second derived data files, the one or more second derived data files corresponding to the one or more second virtual data files and being derived by the server computer system in response to the request from the client computer system to retrieve the at least a portion of the one or more second derived data files from the server computer system.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein sending the request comprises sending a GET request through HTTP protocol.
 8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising receiving, by the client computer system, the at least a portion of the one or more second derived data files.
 9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending, by the client computer system, a request for policy capability of the server computer system for a data type prior to receiving, by the client computer system from the server computer system, the list of derived data types that can be generated by the server computer system.
 10. A client computer system comprising: one or more processors configured to: receive a list of derived data types that can be generated by the server computer system; generate a first data file virtualization policy using the list of derived data types, the first data file virtualization policy indicating intent by the one or more processors to request or retrieve at least a portion of one or more derived data files at the server computer system; and send a first data file and the first data file virtualization policy for storage in a storage device in communication with the server computer system, the first data file virtualization policy being useable by the server computer system to create one or more second virtual data files from the first data file, the one or more second virtual data files not being stored on the storage device, the one or more second virtual data files being listed in a directory listing at the server computer such that the one or more second virtual data files appear to the client computer system as if stored in the storage device, the one or more second virtual data files corresponding to the one or more second derived data files.
 11. The system according to claim10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send a request to the server computer system for the directory listing, the directory listing including information about the first data file and information about the one or more second virtual data files.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the request comprises a HTTP 1.1 WebDAV PROPFIND request.
 13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send to the server computer system a request for information about a second virtual data file.
 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the request comprises a HTTP HEAD request.
 15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send a request to retrieve the at least a portion of the one or more second derived data files, the one or more second derived data files corresponding to the one or more second virtual data files and being derived by the server computer system in response to the request from the client computer system to retrieve the at least a portion of the one or more second derived data files from the server computer system.
 16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the request comprises a HTTP GET request.
 17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the at least one or more second derived data files.
 18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send a request for policy capability of the server computer system for a data type prior to receiving by the one or more processors the list of derived data types that can be generated by the server computer system.
 19. A method for storing data files, the method being implemented by a server computer system that includes one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the method comprising: receiving, by the one or more processors, from a client computer system in communication with the server computer system, a first data file and a first data file virtualization policy; storing, by the one or more processors, the first data file and the first data file virtualization policy on a storage device in communication with the server computer system; deriving, by the one or more processors, one or more second virtual data files using information from the first data file and the first data file virtualization policy, the one or more second virtual data files not being stored on the storage device; and generating, by the one or more processors, a directory listing including a listing of the one or more second virtual data files and providing the directory listing to the client computer system in communication with the server computer system such that the one or more second virtual data files appear to the client computer system as if the one or more second virtual data files is stored in the storage device.
 20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising generating, by the one or more processors, derived data corresponding to the one or more second virtual data files listed on the directory listing on-demand upon request by the client computer system.
 21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising receiving, by the one or more processors, a request from the client computer system in communication with the server computer system, for the directory listing.
 22. The method according to claim 21, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving, by the one or more processors, a PROPFIND request through a HTTP protocol.
 23. The method according to claim 19, further comprising receiving, by the one or more processors, a request from the client computer system for policy capability of the server computer system for a data type.
 24. The method according to claim 21, further comprising sending, by the one or more processors, a response to the request from the client computer system including a list of derived data types that are supported by the server computer system.
 25. The method according to claim 24, wherein sending comprises providing for each derived data type a list of parameters used to control a derived data file containing the derived data types.
 26. The method according to claim 19, wherein the receiving comprises receiving, by the one or more processors, a plurality of first data files and a plurality of first data file virtualization policies; and associating, by the one or more processors, each first data file in the plurality of first data files with a corresponding first data file virtualization policy in the plurality of first data file virtualization policies.
 27. The method according claim 19, further comprising receiving by the one or more processors, a request from the client computer system in communication with the server computer system, for the directory listing of the one or more second virtual data files.
 28. The method according to claim 27, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving a HEAD request through HTTP protocol.
 29. The method according to claim 20, further comprising delivering at least a portion of the data of the one or more second virtual data files to the client computer system.
 30. The method according to claim 20, further comprising receiving, by the one or more processors, a request from the client computer system in communication with the server computer system to retrieve at least a portion of the data of the one or more second virtual data files.
 31. The method according to claim 30, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving a HTTP GET request.
 32. A system for storing data files, comprising: a server computer system configured to: receive a first data file and a first data file virtualization policy from a client computer system in communication with the server computer system; store the first data file and the first data file virtualization policy on a storage device in communication with the server computer system; derive one or more second virtual data files using information from the first data file and the first data file virtualization policy, the one or more second virtual data files not being stored on the storage device; and generate a directory listing including a listing of the one or more second virtual data files and providing the directory listing to the client computer system in communication with the server computer system such that the one or more second virtual data files appear to the client computer system as if the one or more second virtual data files is stored in the storage device.
 33. The system of claim 32, wherein the server computer system is configured to generate derived data corresponding to the one or more second virtual data files listed on the directory listing on-demand upon request by the client computer system.
 34. The system according to claim 32, wherein the computer system is further configured to receive a request, from the client computer system in communication with the server computer system, for the directory listing.
 35. The system according to claim 34, wherein the request comprises a PROPFIND request in HTTP protocol.
 36. The system according to claim 32, wherein the server computer system is configured to receive a request from the client computer system for policy capability of the server computer system for a data type.
 37. The system according to claim 36, wherein the server computer system is configured to send a response to the request from the client computer system including a list of derived data types that are supported by the server computer system.
 38. The system according to claim 32, wherein the server computer system is configured to receive a plurality of first data files and a plurality of first data file virtualization policies; and associate each first data file in the plurality of first data files with a corresponding first data file virtualization policy in the plurality of first data file virtualization policies.
 39. The system according to claim 32, wherein the server computer system is further configured to receive a request from the client computer system in communication with the server computer system, for the directory listing of the one or more second virtual data files.
 40. The system according to claim 33, wherein the server computer system is further configured to deliver at least a portion of the data of the one or more second virtual data files to the client computer system.
 41. The system according to claim 33, wherein the server computer system is further configured to receive a request from the client computer system in communication with the server computer system to retrieve at least a portion of the data of the one or more second virtual data files. 